A Mermaid's Tail
by EtreAlive
Summary: Seraphina never knew she was different until one fateful night tested her heart. Thrust into a world she grew up fearing, Searphina must learn to overcome the hardships of human life. Set during the Pirates movies, just haven't decided which one yet :P Sucky summary, but There will be Jack, Will, and Elizabeth for sure! My very first submission, read and review please and thanks (:
1. Chapter 1

**Seraphina**

The night is as black as any other, but I can feel the difference. It is my first ship raid, as I am soon to turn 17 and become old enough for kids, according to the elders. We swim, the rest of the group and I, closer to the trade route many ships use from one piece of land to another. Many of my companions have gone before, most of them actually, so I decide to watch them this time. While they move up toward the Surface I float in place down below, not sure what to expect.

Just as my patience are about gone, my ears pick up on something in the distance. I've never heard it before, it sounds like a rumbling of some sort. From above me, my friend Pearl turns and yells down with a grin on her face.

"This is it, Seraphina!" she says, pointing to our right. While mermaids have fairly decent night vision, thanks to living in the deepest pits of the ocean, it does nothing to help me see what she's pointing at.

"A ship is coming!" adds Melody from beside her. The other mermaids are swimming about excitedly as well; these are not hunting parties, they are meeting parties. Mermaids mate for life; we do not have any men of our own to reproduce with, so twice a year we send out a group to intercept a ship by nights and steal their men. It seems like a heartless, unfailing act, maybe, but the men must be drowned after. Mermaids are but sea lore, told by old sailors to young ones. We must protect our own lives; humans would surely hunt us down for show or sales if they knew we really did exist. After we take them from their ships and have our way with them, no man is to be allowed to return to the surface.

As it is my first time mating, I am nervous. I have no interest in how the man looks, all of our daughters are born beautiful. I feel nothing about killing him after, it is a part of the natural order; he will die so I can help carry on my species. What I am nervous about is not being able to catch one. It is a disgrace if a mermaid cannot manage to mate at least once in a year, and we only get two chances. Shame is brought on those who fail, and in extreme cases the Council of Elders may choose to banish those who fail to reproduce for more than a year.

This is why I choose to watch the strategies of my clan mates before trying for myself. Mermaids are permitted one pass on their first trip, but the cation really some decide to test their luck anyway. I could do that, there doesn't seem to be a big difference in the results of those who wait and those who don't, but I'm much too nervous.

the water is beginning to ripple now, the current's getting strong enough to buffet me around a bit. I swim upwards at a gesture from my mother, Mist, and join others just a few meters from the Surface.

"Watch closely, Sera," she says, "this may be your job next time." I nod as she swims up to break the Surface with her head. I wince a bit, scared for her. From the time we are born, mermaids are told of the dangers that live above the Surface. I have never been this far from the bottom of the ocean in all my life. I don't have much time to worry though, because she is soon singing and it takes all of my concentration to focus on her beautiful song and upcoming events.

The ship must have slow down, because its noise and currents have died almost completely. All I hear is Mist singing out in the air. A minute later, 3 of my friends rise up out of the water too, and Mist's singing halts.

"Get down now, Seraphina," says my sister, Currant, touching my arm lightly. I nod and obey, sinking to the bottom of the group, well below the Surface. A splash, from the direction of the ship, makes me turn my head. With a flash of a red tail, Currant's friend Angel shoots off into the darkness towards the noise. Another splash in the same direction send Pearl after her. Then the rest of my group is gone; they've launched themselves out of the water completely, leaving me alone with the only other first-timer in the group, Crest.

She and I look at each other blankly for a moment. We aren't friends; she's always with the hunters, and I spend the majority of my time with the reproducers. Pearl thinks Crest is jealous of the hunters; by the time a mermaid is 13, her tail grows in a way that decides what her position in the clan will be. Salmon tail means hunter, angelfish means she is destined to spend her life mating. When Crest's tail tip grew in it was hard to tell what kind it was, so she spent most of her time with the hunters.

Unfortunately for her, the humans changed their trade routes around that time and my clan had a difficult time tracking them down. It took two years, two years without most reproducers birthing once. Because the gestation period for mermaids is around five months, this meant there could have been four babies per mater. Banishments like none I've ever seen before occurred - our numbers went from around 50 to a mere 20 in those two years. The Council of Elders refused to bend the traditional law even in that time of crisis. It was because of this that Crest was deemed s reproducer: the elders decided she was needed to reproduce more than she was needed to hunt.

Even as I swim there looking at her, the water is breaking open around me and my clan mates are falling in, their prey grasped tightly in their arms. The men struggle, but not hard enough to break their captors' grips. Pearl winks at me, easily keeping hold of her sailor as she drags him down into the dark water. I see Angel, Melody, and Currant doing the same. I look away, not wanting to intrude. I think I've seen all that I need to, so I signal to Mist that I'm heading back home as she passes. Her arms are wrapped around the neck of a very hairy man, but she nods in understanding.


	2. Chapter 2

**Nick**

My feet scuff through the half-frozen-mud covered streets; it's cold but not enough to force me inside. My lovely parents have just informed me that they're planning to send me clear across the world to England for college in just a few months. Forget the life I've built here, forget all the friends I'll be leaving behind, let's just ship me off to the home country. The thought of it angers me further and I kick a clump of brown ice so it soars forward twenty feet and smashes into a pile of empty crates. The pyramid falls with a crash, making me juml, and apparently alerting the shopkeeper to my presence. A massive man with s beard sticks his head out the window and begins shouting obsceneties at me. I duck my head, stuff my hands into my coat pockets, and hurry on.

"There you are! Mother is looking for you, she and dad are very angry with you, you'd better get home quick. Dad's promised he won't flog you." It's my brother, Alex. He enters the alley in which I sit and leans against the dirty brick wall, apparently waiting for me to follow him. For a moment I sit there, thinking about what to do. On the one hand, Alex and I generally don't get along, so I could be walking right into a trap. It's possible, probable even, that I'm in for the lashing of a lifetime. On the other hand though, there are those occasional moments when Alex isn't truely terrible. Maybe he's trying to help, for once.

In the end I decide to go with him. Slowly, stiffly, I get to my feet. I must have been sitting there for a while, my bones and muscles scream at me as I try to stretch them out. Punching Alex in the arm playfully, he grins and leads the way out of the alley.

Our house is on a busy street in the richer part of town. All the houses look the same to me, with their front porches and green doors and second floor balconies. We aren't rich, exactly, but my father runs the general store and owns the saloon and barbershop, so we've never been left to want anything. When I stomp my way up the garden path with my brother in tow, my mother hears and throws open the kitchen window.

"Nichols Adams, where have you been?" she demands of me, drying her hands on her apron, "Your father and I are very disappointed in you. Just because you aren't happy with our decision does not give you the right to storm off like that! You get right inside, young man, your father is waiting for you."

I scowl at her and shove my hands deeper into my pockets. Alex follows me into the sitting room and casually lingers by the fireplace as if warming himself. I know better than that; he never passed up on an opportunity to watch me getting yelled at. Our father sits in a stuffed armchair by the window, smoking a pipe and looking out at the street.

"Sit down, Nicholas." I obey, my eyes on the floor. "Alexander, go to your studies. Your tudor stopped by while you were out, he says you've been falling behind." I smirk at him as he shuffles out, looking obviously disappointed. My father clears his throat pointedly and my eyes snap back to the floor, ashamed.

"Nicholas," he sighs, "I know you do not want to leave. This is yous home, I understand that. But you must see that this is for your own benefit. College will give you new opportunities. It will open up doors for your future. With a proper education under your belt, you will be able to provide for your family as I provide for mine."

"But fathe" " I begin

"Nicholas, my decision is final," he thunders, staing up, "you are going to England and I will hear no more about it, are we clear? Now get out of my sight."


	3. Chapter 3

**Seraphina**

The seashell comb rips through my hair as I try to brush out the tangles. I flinch as it tugs at my head. Mermaids have very keen senses of touch, so any infliction of pain is twice as bad as it is to any other creature. Normally I don't bother to brush my hair at all, but today is a special day. Today is the day of my first real raid.

It has been six months since my first encounter with humans. My seventeenth birthday was a month ago, it is high time I have my first baby. Today is the day. I look myself over in my mirror, frowning slightly. I've never been overly pleased with my looks, not like the rest of my clan. Most of them have beautiful tan skin, despite never once being exposed to the Surface. I suppose they all got lucky, their fathers were wonderfully tan skinned. Mine looks as white as the rim of a conch. I do like my hair though, I can say that. I admire it in the mirror, with its lovely soft waves. It goes all the way down to the start of my tail now.

Moving down my body I see my slender shoulders. My collar bone sticks out though, I used to get made fun of for it when I was younger. My breasts are the right size for my small body, but unfortunately for me they are not something mermaids particularly care about. Big or small, it makes no difference. Silvery blue scales travel up my side's and cover my nipples. They fall off when a mermaid conceives a daughter, it is one of the ways we can tell who is pregnant. I move my hair to cover my breasts the way the clan taught me to as a show of one's class.

My stomach is nearly flat, though my ribs are still slightly visible. My tail transitions in perfectly, my skin turning smoothly to scales. My tail is my best feature by far: blue, with a perfect angelfish tip.

Mermaid tail colors represent the dominant traits if the mermaid, even if they don't realize how powerful those traits are to them. Red tails signify motherly, caring mermaids. The yellowy-gold tails are on the intelligent, strategic ones. Grean tails are born on leaders. Those with blue tails, like me, have adventurous and energetic spirits. Last, purple tails are for the bravest of our kind. Some mermaids seem to have dominant traits not shown by their tails at first, but they are anomalies.

Sighing to myself, I run one hand over the collar bone I wish was invisible before turning away from my mirror and swimming out of my cave. Those of us chosen to participate in the raid are to meet in the Council's cave. As per usual I am a few minutes late to arrive. My friends are lying on the cave floor near the entrance, so I swim over to join them as quietly as possible.

"This night we have two new clan mates joining in on the raid, Crest and Seraphina," one of the Elders is saying, "so everyone be sure to keep an eye out for them. Humans are very dangerous creatures, and they cannot be trusted. It is always a sad time when one of our own gets stolen from us."

I hang my head, remembering the night when Mist informed me that one of my aunts was captured by the humans. It was many years ago, when I was very young, but I remember exactly how I felt. That was the first time I had ever really had to think about how dangerously precarious my life is. One minute you're there, the next you're gone.

"So," another Council member goes on, "let us be very careful this trip, as every other. We wish you all the best of luck in catching a mate."

"And now for the choosing of the singer," continues a third Elder. "All of you girls, in a line now."

We obey, forming a single file line. I am at the very end and not really sure what yo do. I nudge Melody, who is in front of me.

"What am I supposed to do?" I ask. I know the point of this ritual, but have never been informed on how exactly to go about it.

"You must perform your favorite tune. Be sure you don't repeat anyone else's, they don't like that. It has to impress them, but it also has to be appealing to the humans. If you are chosen as singer, you must sing the tune you choose now when you go to the Surface."

My mind whirls as I try to remember all of this. The line is getting shorter and shorter, then all of a sudden I am the next to go. Melody sings a beautiful tune that seems to reverberate inside of my very heart, chilling me and filling me with warmth at the same time. How I can ever compete with that, I have no idea. I swim forward and she gives me a little good luck smile as she passes. I swallow hard.

The Elders all have brown tails. Every mermaid gets a brown tail after about 40 years, at which point they are retired from reproducing or hunting and become a part of the Council. As I float there in the cave, all I can see is their tails. I have never been this close to a brown tail before, at least not since I was born. Elders often help with births. This reminds me of a song Mist once sung me as an infant, every time I woke up scared in the night. Before I fully realize what I'm doing, my mouth has opened and I am echoing the song that playing in my memory.

_Deep in the ocean,_

_Under the moon,_

_Stars sing out to me,_

_A soft, sweet croon_

_Sleep safe, baby,_

_And be warm,_

_Sleep sound, baby,_

_Fear not the storm_

My voice dies away and I hover in the water, not sure what to do next. Some of the Elders are nodding at me, some are smiling. One of them whispers to another, and my stomach turns all the while.

"Our clear singer this evening is Seraphina," says the whisperer, "an excellent choice of song for her first raid. Congratulations Sera, and we wish you the best of luck." With that, the Council turns as one and retreats into the depths of the cave.

Night has fallen by the time we reach the trade route. I am prepared to wait all night if it means I get to sing my song, I am so proud and excited to have been chosen for such an important task. Luckily we don't have to wait long for a ship to arrive, and before I know it I am rising out of the ocean for the very first time. The Surface is cool, and has a funny feeling. It slaps my face like a dolphin's tail and I am temporarily stunned. I look up and see the full moon and all the stars, just like in my song. I see the ship coming closer, and begin to sing.

Over and over I repeat my song, slow and sweet. The ship doesn't react at first, but eventually it slows down. I can see awestruck faces peering down at me. These men are all clean shaven, not like the last time. They have on matching blue fabrics over their skins and funny looking things on their heads. I sing a bit louder, and notice they are dropping a miniature ship into the water with two men on it.

I smile a bit at their stupidity, but manage to make it look coy and beautiful. They move their tiny ship toward me slowly, and I move toward it. Within minutes my face is half a tail length away from one of the men's, who has leaned over the edge so far I'm amazed he doesn't just fall right out. His eyes are glazed over, his mouth hanging open in a half smile. Behind me, two of my clan mates slip their heads out of the water smoothly and I stop my song. The man inches closer, my clan mates move around to the other side of the boat and the other man. I smile at the eyes only a hand's length away from mine. Without warning, my hands shoot out of the water and latch around his neck. I jerk hard and the man slips out of his miniature ship, tumbling into the ocean as I drag him down.


	4. Chapter 4

**Nick**

It's hard to believe a mere six months ago I was protesting my traveing to England. How I could possibly not have wanted to escape my mother and father is beyond my comprehension now. They've caged me in like some sort of animal, confining me to my room for constant studying. Any company at all has been welcome, even in the form of my brother. He laughed, but I warned him, in two years he'll be in my place and it won't be nearly as funny then.

From where I sit on this awful ship, I almost feel as if I'll miss him while I'm away these next four years. On the whole he was a terrible nuisance, but he did have his moments. I finish my letter to him with a flourish before sealing it and standing up. The ship lurches and I resist the urge to vomit. It's been a week and I'm just now starting to get my sea legs. Or at least, starting to control my stomach a little better.

We're pulling into a port I can see from my window, probably to restock supplies before we head into the open ocean. My roommate snores loudly from his hammock. I roll my eyes at him and don't bother being quiet as I leave our room.

Up on deck the sailors are preparing to tie up the ship in the harbor, and i watch as they scurry about like rats. They're a motley crew but the captain swears they're able to get to England and back in one piece. My father paid the man a great sum to make sure he kept his word.

Once the ship is properly moored, I make my way hastily down the plank to the dock. I can honestly say I've never been happier to be on dry land. There are a number of naval ships in this harbor and I take my time looking at them as I walk toward the town. The captain has told me to be sure I'm back by eight o'clock sharp or he'll be leaving without me, so I make a point of asking the first respectable-looking bloke I see what time it is.

After being assured that it is exactly six, I head to the local tavern. Nobody knows me here and I could really use a drink to calm my stomach. The barkeep eyes me suspiciously before I clang around the pocketfull of money I brought, wherein he pours me whatever I ask with a smile.

The hours go by and I soon discover it to be a quarter past seven. A bit tipsy, I pay for my drinks and head out the door. My trip was successful: my stomach has calmed down completely, but I've forgotten my way back to the harbor. Deciding that when in doubt one should go left, I stumble my way along the busy street until I reach a high stone wall.

For a while I follow it, tracing my fingers over the rough stone. Turning to look back, I see I've left the town far behind. Perhaps miles, my brain is so addled I can't tell. Shrugging it off, I see the wall comes to a corner up ahead turning away from me and I half run, half fall toward it. Just as I round the corner, a gigantic blast above my head sends chunks of stone raining down around me. I stumble forward, trying my best to escape them, but my vision is blurred just enough to make invisible the large pothole in the ground right in front of my foot. I step into it and fall with a thud to the ground, just as another blast shatters the top of the wall right above me.

This time I don't even try to escape. Covering my head with my hands I do my best to ignore the sharp pains that are stabbing into me as the chunks of rock fall. I look to my left and am vaguely see the ocean just a little ways away. There are ships out there, slightly ragged-looking ones, that are blasting away at the wall beside me. I am so memorized by these ships I don't notice the debris from the most recent blast until it is raining down on the side of my head. One chunk in particular hits me directly in my left ear and pain shoots through my head and down my neck. I cry out in pain and feel the warm, sticky wetness run down the side of my face.

Apparently crying out was a bad idea for two reasons. First, I opened my mouth and allowed the blood to get in. Before I know it, I'm spitting out a mouthful, throughly repulsed. Second, there seems to have been a small group of people nearby who are slightly less than friendly, because I am suddenly surrounded by three very dirty men brandishing swords.

"Declare yourself," one them spits at me, kicking my leg painfully when I say nothing

"Nicholas Adams of the Virginia colonies," I reply, dazed and still in pain.

The men look at each other, grinning wickedly, before what I assume to be the leader turns to me again and asks "and what is yer business here abouts, Nicholas Adams of the Virginia colonies? Sure seams as if a strapping young lad such as yourself belongs up there, inside the fortress. How about a very personal escort?" They move in toward me with grins on their faces. I can see each one of their rotting front teeth.

Just then, a group of half a dozen soldiers come into view. I've only ever seen them a few times before, but I recognize their blue uniforms immediately. They shout something, making the ruffians surrounding me turn their heads. With one horrified look at each other, they take off toward the town behind me. They don't get far. The soldiers open fire and the men - pirates - fall to the ground with wails of pain.

I spit out another mouthful of blood and one of the soldiers helps me to my feet. He brushes me off a bit, smiling widely.

"My dear boy, do you know what you have just done?" he asks me. I feel as if he's reprimanding me, but his smile throws me off. "Those men are pirates," ah hah, I think, I knew it, "wanted for treason, robbery, and kidnapping. Your ploy led us right to them, and for that His Majesty thanks you." The man salutes you, and having just secured the pirates in handcuffs, the other soldiers salute at well.

After noticing my ear, I am lead into a hidden doorway that comes out on the other side of the wall. The effects of my drunken stupor are wearing off now and the pain in my head increases. I am taken to a physician on the far side of the fort, who soaks up as much of the blood as he can from the inside of my ear before bandaging it up. According to him, I must take excellent care of it if I don't want to lose my hearing on that side.

After this, I am taken to a man who introduces himself as General. He commends my bravery and asks how I can be repaid for my heroic act. I'm still fairly confused about what I'm supposed to have done, but I inform him of my trip to England. I have surely missed my ship by now, and since all of my possessions and most of my money were on board, I am left stranded on this island. The general immediately informs me of a royal navy ship that will be departing for England in fifteen minutes, and before I know it I am being swept into carriage with the general himself, headed for the harbor.

One hurried conversation with the captain later, the general bids me adieu and informs that the captain has been given express orders to treat me as an honored guest. I am given a private cabin below deck, to which I retreat immediately. It's small and a bit cramped, but it has a hammock, and I have had a long day.

What seems like minutes later I awake as if someone has just dumped cold water on me. The ship has stopped moving, I can feel it. Wondering what happened, I sleepily rub my eyes and head up on deck to ask the captain. I find myself staring at the entire crew leaning over the rail on the right side of the ship, looking at something in the water. No one is speaking, so I have no clue as to what is going on.

My right ear picks up on something musical out in the ocean, and I scan the water for it. A rowboat with two of the crew inside is sitting a little ways out. The skipper is inside, or rather his lower half is, for the man is leaning out so far he is almost parallel to the water. The head of a woman is sticking up from the waves a few feet from his face. She is the source of the music, I can see her mouth moving ever so slightly. It is a beautiful melody she sings, but I am completely baffled as to what's going on. The woman inches forward until she is right in front of the skipper's face. I'm sure she's about to kiss him when suddenly many things happen at once.

The woman grabs the skipper by his head and drags him down into the ocean. I see the flash of blue fins and realize that this woman is a mermaid, the mythical creatures that protect the sea according to legend, the ones who attack traveling ships and drown their passengers for the fun of it. On the other side of the rowboat, two more of these mermaids snatch the captain's personal servant and drag him down too.

Beside me, whatever spell the mermaid seems to have placed over the crew breaks, and suddenly there are yells of protest and fear. Then up out of the water, leaping like I've never seen anything leap before, are more of the mermaids. They grab at the shirts of the men still hanging over the edge of the ship and dive back into the ocean. I watch in horror as first two, then four, then five of the crew are dragged down. My eyes are locked on the first mate, who is screaming bloody murder as a red-tailed mermaid wraps her arms around his torso and pulls him under.

I don't notice that I'm in danger, too, until its too late. I don't even see her coming, but my feet are suddenly lifted off the deck and I'm falling through the air. We hit the water like a bullet, knocking my breath out of me. I struggle with my captor, terrified, trying to pry her fingers off of my shirt. It works, but she just secures her grip around my waist instead. I kick at her, lash out at her face. She easily restrains my hands behind my back. I'm running out of air. In the back of my mind, a little voice tells me it's no use fighting what's about to come.


	5. Chapter 5

**Seraphina**

It's easy to get him down, and he only struggles a bit as I pull him into the middle of my clan mates. They nod and smile approvingly at my work before heading to the Surface to make their own captures. I wait, not wanting to be the first to go. The human weakly pounds at my arms, still wrapped around his neck. I feel his mouth trying desperately to get at my skin. It's pathetic, really. Stupid humans, they think they're the masters of the world. If I, a 17 year old, can take down this man who is twice as large as me, that should teach them all a lesson. Humans are as vulnerable as the rest of us.

Then one of Mist's sisters comes crashing down into the water with her fist wound tightly in the fabric that covers of a boy who looks about my age. Strangely, I can't tear my eyes from him. He is fighting fiercely, but not being used to the water he comes off as slow and sluggish. Mist's sister looks satisfied with her catch, but almost bored. Before I know what I'm doing, I swim over to her and tap her on the shoulder. She's got a better grip on the boy now, and I can see him fading fast. Unlike us he can't breathe both air and water.

"Don't you think," I begin, trying my best to sound polite, "you would be suited better for this one?" I gesture to my own human. "I mean, this one could be your son. Isn't that a bit strange?" I fake laugh a bit, trying not to sound offensive.

To my relief, she gives the boy a once-over and wrinkles her nose. Thrusting him toward me, she grabs my human and quickly flips over, rocketing down into the darker water before I can protest. I smile to myself as I wrap my arms around the boy. My hands meet in the middle of his back and our torsos are pressed tightly together. My touch is light though, gentle. I think he can tell he's changed possession, even in his quickly fading mind.

I am pleased to have such a pretty mate for my first time reproducing. I will have an exceptionally beautiful daughter. With his tan skin and hair the color of dark sand, he is lovely, and I almost wish he could live long enough to see what his offspring will look like. Almost.

As I begin to sink down, my eyes not leaving his face, he looks up. Brilliant blue eyes meet my stormy gray ones and I stop moving. I can't put my finger on it, but there's something in them that calls to me. It sings out like my voice did to him. Something in my insides changes, my heart beats faster, and I know that I can't do it. I can't bring myself to drown him, not today. His eyes are still locked on mine as a bubble of air leaves his mouth and I know he's a hand's length from death.


	6. Chapter 6

**Nick**

Warm. I feel warm. My whole body feels warm and comfortable. This must be death. Death is nice. Death is warm. But if this is death, why is there something lumpy under my head? Under my whole body, actually. I open my eyes slowly to see a cloudless sky above me. From the look of the sun it's late afternoon, but I have no memory of the last day. Or how I got here, for that matter. Or where 'here' even is.

I make an attempt to sit up, but my muscles scream at me to stop. I let out a low moan and lay back down. A very pointed rock is poking into the back of my head, but the pain is less than that in my muscles. For another few minutes I lie there, eyes closed, breathing deeply. With an altogether effort, I sit up and roll to my feet. The move is so sudden my balance is thrown off and I almost fall forward.

It's a good thing I didn't, because when my eyesight comes into focus I see that below me is a dropoff of a meter directly into sharp rocks sticking up out of the ocean. I step back and almost lose my footing once more. The rocks I'm standing turn out to be part of an outcrop, a collapsed hillside. Must have been recent, the majority of the rocks have yet to be weathered down to smoothness. Not that any of this information helps me.

To my right lies the ocean, but to my left lies the rest of the island. It's small, tiny even, about the size of two ships end to end and only a touch wider. The entire thing is covered in rocks. Not one blade of grass on it, as far as I can tell. There are, however, a few smaller trees. I've never seen any like them before, but the rumbling in my stomach forces me to check them out for food.

Stumbling over the rocks, I approach the tree. Its bark is completely smooth, its leaves are large and droopy, and it is completely lacking in fruit. I swear and kick the tree out of frustration. My left ear throbs, and I instinctively put a hand up to it. I forgot all about my wound, but now I notice that I still can't hear. The doctor told me to keep it clean and maybe I'll get my hearing back, so I stumble my way down to the ocean once more.

The shore goes all the way down to the water here, no dropoffs, but the water itself is instantly deep. There's no way I can wade in to bathe. Kneeling instead, I carefully remove the bandages and dunk my head under the waves. The salt burns like mad and I gasp, choak, and pull my head into the air once more. Sputtering and coughing, I do my best to get the water out of my lungs. After a few minutes I succeed and fall, exhausted, backward to lay on the rocky beach. For a few minutes I lay there, eyes closed, and wonder what's going to happen.

By the time I sit up, the sun is beginning to set. I stare out at the pink and orange horizon, but not really seeing it. It takes a few minutes for ne to realize that bobbing in the water, too far out to be a rock, is a pale face. Suddenly last night flashes back to me. The ship, the men, the sirens. I jump to my feet in horror and stumble backwards. I need to get away from her, from this beast that tried to kill me.

Retreating to the dead center of the island, I hope I'm far enough away from the water to be safe. I settle around the base of one of the strange trees and do my best to re-bandage my ear. The wrappings are dry, at least. Maybe they'll keep some dirt out. My body is exhausted, and before I know it my eyes are drooping, my breath slows, and I'm asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Seraphina**

When I brought the human to this island, I didn't know what I wanted to do with him. All I knew was that I didn't want to kill him. Strange, since that's what I was raised to do. Kill or be killed. Kill to keep my species alive. But this man, he doesn't seem the same. I don't have much experience with humans, but I've heard the stories. When I traded my catch for him, I thought I would have no problem killing him. But his eyes.. There was something in his eyes.. Something that told me he isn't bad. He's not like the rest.

I thought this island would be safe for him. I decide to keep him as a sort of pet, safe here away from other humans who might try to hurt him or me. I can watch him. Of course he is still dangerous, I must be very cautious. He may only glimpse me, if he should be allowed to study me the way I study him he may find a weakness to exploit. I don't know if humans are that intelligent, but perhaps. Better to air on the side of caution.

What I did not realize when I stole this man was how my clan would take it. I did not think of it. I suppose when I did not return they assumed me captured by the humans. They will have stayed vigil all night for me, grieving. To go back now, to have to explain myself.. I would be banished anyway, for not properly mating with and killing my human. One does not defy clan traditions. I could lie, but it goes against our code. Besides, the Elders would surely catch me. They are all-knowing.

So I suppose I have made my bed, and now I shall lie in it. From behind a rock many tail lengths from shore, I watch as my human comes alive again. He looks around at his new home a bit, before going to one of the strange Surface plants and examining it. After only a minute, he begins speaking to it. If the Surface plant talked back, I did not hear it, but it must have said something rude because my human has hit it with his foot. I laugh a little to myself; humans are so very odd.

I am curious when the man goes to to the ocean, so I move in a bit closer. Of all our heightened senses, unfortunately eyesight is not one, at least not seeing longer distances. Anyway, the human is removing something from his ear, it looks like another fabric. Strange, I've never heard of humans wearing fabrics in their ears before. I watch as he tries to breathe underwater. He's not very good at it, but I doubted he would be. Perhaps he hopes to turn into a mermaid.

My human lays down then and stops moving, and after a while I get bored. Sinking down to the depths of the ocean again, I scavenge a bit for food. It has been a day since I last ate, and my insides are beginning to hurt. Hunting is a lost cause: I have never so much as thought about how to do it, let alone put it into practice. That always fell to the other mermaids in my clan. Some of my sisters are hunters, but I never payed much attention to their discussions.

In the end, I manage to scrounge up some plants and a small fish. It's not much, but it will hold me over for a day. Returning to the surface, I see my human has sat up and is staring at the Great Sun Goddess as she gets ready to sleep. He's still boring to me, so I idly swim in place, only half paying attention, until he does something interesting.

I don't have long to wait: after a little while, he appears to see me and gets to his feet very quickly. He retreats very fast, almost as if he is afraid. How odd, that he should be afraid of me. When he reaches one of the Surface plants he stops and sits down again. Deciding he isn't likely to go anywhere for a while, I retreat into the water once more. After only a bit of searching I find myself a little rock ledge sticking out of the side of the island. It looks suitable for a bed, and I settle in.

The next day passes with much of the same actions from my pet. He wanders around his home, puts his head underwater a few times, plays with his ear fabric, and sleeps. Around mid day, he begins removing the fabrics that cover his body. The three fabrics covering his torso come off first, revealing his chest. I move closer to watch him, as it is so curious why he wears them in the first place. I am almost right against the shore now, close enough to see his defined stomach and arm muscles. Something inside me stirs, a strange feeling I am not used to. My human removes the strange feet covers next. They appear thick. He leaves them by the water's edge, and when he looks away I manage to grab one.

Hidden behind a rock, I examine it. It is thick, like I thought, and made of some type of brown fabric that looks and feels somewhat like a dolphin. I pull at its funny angles and stretch it out, but it doesn't budge much. Interesting. Before the human notices it's gone, I put the foot cover back. When he goes to put them back on, I think he may see one is in a different place than where he left it, because he gives it a puzzled look, but he says nothing and doesn't look around for me.

That same day, my human movs around some rocks near the base of a Surface plant and finds a bit of water. Why he wanted water when he was surrounded by the ocean was beyond me, but perhaps he didn't like to share. He is still looking for something, but I don't know what. I spend a very long time trying to guess what it may be, but at the end of the day I'm still stymied. Retreating to my ledge, I fall asleep hoping that maybe tomorrow I will figure it out.


	8. Chapter 8

**Nick**

By this time I'm really starting to get dizzy from hunger. The water I found is enough to keep me alive for now, but if I don't get something in my stomach soon, I'm sure to fade quickly. It's been what, three days now? Four? What with my frequent napping, they're all running together. I just know that the ache in my stomach has turned into an all-consuming roar.

Luckily for me, someone out there seems to be feeling merciful, because when I crawl my way to the shore to clean out my ear for the second time today I am gifted with some much needed nourishment. After dunking my head and carefully pawing at my throbbing ear for a few seconds, I surface. Lying next to me, not a meter away, is a pile of what looks like ocean plants and some brightly coloured fish. I look around me; I am still utterly alone on my little island prison, but out a ways in the water I see her. She looks at me, that fiendish gaze of hers piercing into my very soul, and quickly dives back into the water. For the first time I get a glimpse of her tail. It is a beautiful blue, deep and glittering. I stare in awe for the brief time I see it. Then it vanishes and I return to my food.

Had I been any less mad from hunger, I probably would have thought twice about eating something provided to my by the thing keeping me prisoner. I probably would have thrown it into the ocean, and then starved. Most fortunately for me, my mind is so addled the thought doesn't even cross my mind. After the most delicious meal I can ever remember having in my entire life, I am sufficiently full enough to fall asleep.

Two weeks, two long weeks on this hellish island. My captor reappears twice daily to provide my meals of ocean greens, fish, and the occasional clam. Aside from her, I am alone. I spend my days constructing a proper shelter out of what limited resources I have. Boulders serve as walls and after a few full days of pushing and lifting I manage to stack them until they're about level with my elbows. Figuring that's high enough for me to be able to sit comfortably, I begin on the roof. I break off branches from all of the trees around the island and lay them over the tops of the rocks. It's not much, but it may hold in some heat and keep off any rain. I'm just lucky it's the dry season, but the clear weather can't last forever.

I'm starting to get over my fear of the Siren. I have decided that if she really wanted to kill me she would have done so already. There is still no discernable reason for her to keep me here, but I am alive and aside from the hearing, or lack thereof, I am in good shape. Yet all I ever see of her is glimpses. She brings my food, apparently waits around until I find it, and then disappears under the eater with a splash of her gorgeous tail. I must admit, I am enraptured by the glistening thing, but it would be nice to see a face.

Another week passes and I begin sharpening the single knife I have on me, a shiny new one my father bought me as a present for my 18th birthday just a few short weeks ago. It probably can't get any sharper than it is, but since I have nothing better to do. Eventually I tire of that though, and move on to peeling the strangely flexible bark off of all the trees. There must be some kind of use for it, but I have yet to think of one.


	9. Chapter 9

**Seraphina**

As he constructs his strange makeshift cave, I follow the human around the island. He does not notice me, I am careful to keep only my eyes out of the water. I continue to bring him food, which I finally realized was the missing piece. I always make sure he finds it before I go to eat for myself, and I am sure to let him see me so he knows the food is safe to eat.

For weeks I have watched the human build his strange makeshift Surface cave. It was fascinating, the way he picked up such large rocks with his arms to create his own home. Each day I moved closer to the island, closer to my human, so I could watch his work closer.

I follow him around the island and watch as he first gathers pieces of the Surface plants, then as he sharpens his knife, and finally as he moves back to his plants and begins ripping them up. I start to realize he is becoming bored. This island is too small to keep him happy for much longer. I frown and try to think what I can bring him to make him like his home more. In my own home, with the clan, we spent our time learning the ways of the sea, braiding our hair with sea plants, and other things of that nature. Somehow I didn't think this human would enjoy those activities very much.

As the Sun Goddess goes to sleep, I too resign to my bed, once again hoping an epiphany will come to me overnight. In the morning I proceed with my daily routine of gathering food for my human. Today I find him a small marlin and a handful of mussels. Wrapping them in some kelp, I rise up to the Surface and swim to the little beach where he keeps sticking his head into the water.

He does not appear to be awake yet, I don't see him anywhere on the island. That's alright though, I planned on being gone all day today. If I can find some other humans and see what they like to do, perhaps I can help my human be happier. I set the food carefully down on the rocks and look toward his fake cave, hoping to catch a glimpse of his pretty sandy-coloured head. Unfortunately I see nothing, but it does not matter. I turn to go, when out of nowhere something is thrown over my head, something like a tangle of weeds that make it absolutely impossible for me to swim away.


	10. Chapter 10

**Nick**

After a week of careful preparation, my plan is finally in motion. From all the strips of bark I peeled, I was able to construct a crude sort of netting. The work had to be done in secret, so the Siren wouldn't see, but at last it was done. The goal was to capture and question her, assuming she knew english, which admittedly I didn't think about until I was seconds away from trapping her (and now come to think of it, that haunting melody I heard one of her kind sing the night I was captured was in a tongue I don't recall ever hearing before).

By hiding on top of one of the sharp rocks in the water, I am able to keep out of sight. I stowed away before dawn, so as not to miss her. She comes to bring me my food and I watch the back of her head as she sets it on the rock. I am about to throw the net on her, but I almost lose my footing and am forced to scramble back up to the top. I am about to swear, thinking I must have missed my chance, but she is still there, looking toward the middle of the island and my hut. My heart leaps for joy and I release the net.

It sails down on top of her, hitting perfectly. The rocks I managed to tie to the corners weigh it town so she cannot throw the netting off of her. Triumphant, I leap off my rock on top of her as she struggles. We sink below the surface, the Siren trying in vain to free herself from the net while I wrap my arms around her and grab hold of her wrists. With an enormous effort, I manage to surface once more and push myself out of the water onto dry land while still maintaining a grip on the Siren's wrists. She fights like mad, but it is no use. I haul her up after me so she is completely beached.

She flips pathetically on the rocks, trying to get back to her watery home, but I won't allow it. I draw my knife and flip her over.

My plan is to scream questions at her, such as "who are you" and "where have you brought me" and "what do you want with me," all of which will likely do my no real good, but it doesn't matter. As soon as my eyes meet hers, I am a lost cause.

On the surface I see large stormy gray eyes set in a pale face, but underneath all I see is pure and utter terror. At first I am shocked; this _thing_ is afraid of me? She, who along with her friends tried to end my life, is afraid of _me. _I freeze, knife still brandished in my left hand. For a minute we do nothing but stare at each other, both of us still panting from our struggle.

I can't stop myself then, I have to look at her. I have to see if the stories are true, if mermaids are really the most beautiful women in the world. Starting with her face, I take in her slender nose and almond eyes, moving down to her perfect pink lips, and her slightly pointed chin. Then her neck, her shoulders, her collarbone. She has a slender frame in general. My eyes trace her long hair, follow its soft waves down to her chest. She is completely bare, and as a gentleman I promptly move on to her flat stomach, but not before I notice that she has scales covering herself in the two most sensitive of places on her breasts. I blush a bit and feel ashamed for looking.

Her torse turns smoothly into blue tail, ending in a most elegant fin that fans out like some kind of tropical fish. I can't help but admire her tail, and before I know it the knife has dropped from my hand and I'm reaching to touch the shiny blue scales. Pausing a few inches from it, I turn to look the Siren in her eyes.

"May I?" I ask in barely above a whisper. She continues to stare at me, chest still heaving in what I can only assume is fear, but does not protest. I take it as a yes and turn back to face her tail and move my fingers forward the last few inches. I am taken aback by how smooth and hard it is. Almost like metal, but warm. It's a very strange feeling. I run my fingers lightly over it, from the start of her fin all the way up to the transition of scale to skin.

I begin to notice the mermaid is trembling, first mildly and then violently. Guilt racks my body. How could I ever have feared, even hated, this beautiful creature. For when I look at her this closely, she is truly the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen. She looks about my age, but I cannot recall ever having seen another girl that measures up to the looks of this Siren. It seems so foolish now to have ever been anything but enraptured by this girl.

Pulling the net off her delicately, I scoop up the mermaid's shoulders in my arms and rest her head on my legs. She has calmed down considerably now, her breath slowed down to normal, but she will not look away from my eyes. I turn back to her tail and trace it with my fingers one more time, gently. She still shivers, and I see goosebumps on her arms. I realize that she must be cold, though it is too hot for me to have either my coat or vest on. Strange.

Deciding that the mermaid has probably had enough of me for one day, I lift her carefully into my arms (what a strange feeling that is, to be carrying a woman with a tail) and kneel down next to the water. She slips in easily and backs away from me slowly. I stand and back up, so as not to threaten her any more than I have, and even bow graciously as a good gesture. As I look up once more, I see her sink down into the water and disappear.


	11. Chapter 11

**Seraphina**

Laying on my ledge, I stare up at the Surface. It is far above me, but I can just make out the Sun Goddess as she tickles the ocean. Mostly, I believe I am in shock at what just happened. He was so close, so terribly close. I feared for my life, I must admit. When he came down out of nowhere, landing on me like I'm some sort of creature he can possess. I did as best as I could, I fought, but he captured me as I captured him those many weeks ago. Looking at him from my place in the ocean, I had always felt a warm feeling in my chest, but now when the human's face swam into my mind all I felt was fear, anger, hatred. Keeping me on the Surface was cruel, I have heard the stories of those who stayed up there too long. They are rare, only resulting from the most extreme of banishments. It is a nightmare I do not want to face. The pain and humiliation.. How dare my human do this to me? I nearly froze in his strange world, with its odd texture and temperature. Perhaps that was his plan all along.

But no, it couldn't be. I think about how when he noticed I was cold the human had placed me back into my ocean. He couldn't be all evil if he did that. I am so confused. My head throbs. I close my eyes and roll over, prepared to sleep. But sleep does not come, at least not at first. I lie there, awake but perfectly still, for what seems like a very long time. My stomach rumbles and I ignore it. I have not eaten for a while, a long while, but I make no effort to move. My mind is still on the Surface with my human.

As the Sun Goddess is going to sleep for the second time since my capture, I finally rouse myself. I've made a decision about my next plan of action. Swimming upright, my tail is a bit stiff from lack of use. My tail.. The human seemed so interested in my tail. I wonder why. I myself see nothing of particular interest in it. It is a bit shorter than most of the other mermaids my age, but that happens in my clan. It is curious that the human would be interested in something so mundane. Shaking it off, I gather a bit of kelp and plunge my hand into the middle of an anemone. A hand full of clownfish eggs come out, which I drop into the kelp to keep them together. Popping one into my mouth, I begin searching for something else to give to the human. He probably hasn't eating without me there to provide for him.

The Sun Goddess is just about to sink beneath the far end of the ocean when I break the surface. It is dark, but I see just fine, the same way I do in the depths of the water. I locate the human standing down the shore a ways, staring out to sea. Such a curious pastime. Swimming forward, I reach the island just a little ways down from where he is. He notices me then and turns so I can see his face. In this odd orange and pink light, his face looks beautiful, in a different way than it normally does. I don't move for a moment, and neither does he. We simply stare at each other. Then I snap to my senses and look away, down at the food in my hands. I've managed to scrounge up a pair of small tuna and a lot of plants. He must be hungry after so long without food.

I let him take a few steps forward, so we're only about four tail lengths apart. His eyes flick to the food, and back to my face. I was right, he's hungry. I can see it in his lovely eyes. Another moment passes where we both watch each other, then I swim back a few more tail lengths, until I am a safe distance away. My human rushes forward and snatches up the food, digging into the greens right away. I smile with satisfaction and duck down under the waves, finally feeling at peace enough to get some rest.

From then on, I feel safer and safer approaching my human. He has not since tried to capture me or touch me at all, and even began to bow when I brought his food. After only a short time, I allow him within a mere tail length of me. This day, the Sun Goddess is straight above us when I surface. I have his food like usual, and I'm feeling daring today. I swim bravely up to the shore and wait until my pet walks over to me. He hesitates a tail length away, looking a little uncertain. With my most roguish grin, I lift my arms from the water and hold them above my head with the food in them. He smiles at me a most gorgeous smile, flashing his teeth, and reaches out to take the food. Our fingers brush and I feel my cheeks get hot. I smile a little bit and look away. I can see him smiling wider from the corner of my eye. He bows and backs away, says something in a language I vaguely recognize. Settling down to sleep later on, after the Mood Spirit wakes, I finally remember my lessons in languages as a young mermaid. The word he spoke was one from a tongue I had learned only a bit of, I forget it's name. It warms me inside when I figure out had just thanked me.


	12. Chapter 12

**Nick**

She seems to trust me, this mysterious Siren, despite what I did to her. I am thankful for that, because seeing her up close makes me realize that she will potentially be the only contact I will have for the rest of my life. As she is my captor, it is probably best to stay on her good side. That sounds selfish, but I can't help it. I am a man, self-preservation comes first.

I smile when our fingers touch, it is the first real contact we have ever had, not counting my capture of her. She blushes, which makes me smile more. This mermaid is more human than the old stories make her kind out to be. I wonder if that's a common trait. I doubt any of her friends kidnapped my shipmates just for the fun of keeping them on a deserted island. No, something tells me this girl is different. I just can't put my finger on it.

The next morning my little friend - I begin to think of her as a friend now, which goes to show how lonely I am - reaches the beach and gives me my food. This time she seems to purposely touch my hand, which makes me laugh. She smiles at this but backs up a bit then. I expect her to leave as she always does, but instead she settles down behind a rock, resting her elbows on the top and setting her chin in her hands. I laugh again and she smiles at me. I think she wants to watch me, but I get nervous. I don't know what to do to impress a mermaid. I don't know exactly why I feel the need to impress a mermaid in the first place, but I can't resist her lovely eyes staring at me expectantly. Throwing myself back onto the rocks, I tip my head to one side. And think.

"So," I muse out loud, "what to do to impress you." I don't expect her to understand me, but after a little frown passes over her face for a minute her face seems to brighten and she leans in closer, grinning at me a bit slyly. "Can you understand me?" I ask her, very curious. She thinks for a moment, that little frown passing over her face again. Then she nods. I can't help but grin. "So you do speak English!" I exclaim in excitement, leaning toward her myself. She beams at me.

For the next few hours I proceed to ask her some basic questions. I notice right away that she doesn't seem able to speak the language herself, or else is reluctant to, so I stick to 'yes' or 'no' questions only. By the end of the day I have learned quite a bit about her. She lives near here, underwater, with the group of mermaids I saw the night I was captured, and there are even more than the ones I saw. She misses her family quite a lot (her eyes became very sad when I asked about that) but for some reason can't go back to them. I wish I could ask her why, but she doesn't seem able to speak my language. I wonder if they have their own language, mermaids, or if they communicate solely with gestures. I suppose they must be able to speak if she can understand my English. It's either that or she's spent time around other English speaking peoples. I wish I knew more about her, but I suppose in time I will.

I am correct about that; we spend all of our days together, parting only for sleep, and by the end of another week or so of my constant talking to her, she finally seems like she's trying to respond.

"What is your name, beautiful mermaid?" I ask her one morning.

She hesitates for a moment before responding, seeming to concentrate very hard. "Seraphina," she manages to slowly stutter out. Her syllables are elongated slightly, but I can tell it is one word. I beam at her, so very pleased to have heard a voice other than my own for the first time in over a month. And what a pleasant voice it is, too; slightly high pitched and feminine.

"What a lovely name," I tell her, "are you named for your mother?"

The Siren - Seraphina - shakes her head. She opens her mouth for a second before the word "no" comes slowly out. Another pause, but I can tell she's not done talking yet. "Mist," she says.

"Her name is Mist?" I ask as clarification. She nods at me. "My mother's name is Caroline, and my father's name is Terrance What's your father's name?"

She looks puzzled, tipping her head curiously to one side. "How I know?" she asks. I try my best not to laugh at her broken English, it is truly precious. Still, her response is odd.

"Well he's your father, is he not? Does he not live with you?"

"No," she replies, still looking at me as if I'm mad, "dead."

It is a short and simple statement, but it jars me. I can't imagine losing my own father. He may be strict with me, but I know he just wants what's best for my brother and I. Seraphina must have lost her father when she was young, to not be able to remember his name. Still, I wonder if her mother never mentioned him. "I'm so sorry," I say to her.

"Why?" Her frown is back, but I don't know how to answer her question. Really, what kind of question is it? Shouldn't she know 'why'? It's her father, after all. Still, I feel like this is a topic a bit too deep for us just yet. Her English is only basic, and it's amazing to me that she's learned to speak so well this quickly. I simply shrug and leave the conversation where it is. Perhaps one day we'll get back to it, after I teach her how to speak proper sentences. I enjoy my new relationship with this girl; she may be a Siren, may have made an attempt to take my life at one point, but it turns out she's not half bad for a conversation. Easy on the eyes, as well. I look over what I can see of her - shoulders up - and find I'm smiling again. Very easy on the eyes.


	13. Chapter 13

**Seraphina**

The Sun Goddess and Moon Spirit have woken and slept many times now, and my conversations with the human have taught me much about his world. I learn he has a father, a mother, and a brother back home. He lives in a strange land called "the colonies" and has many friends. He was headed to a far away land to learn when we first met, but he did not want to go. I pity him, being forced to leave his family. I don't know what I would do if my family made me leave them. A pang of hurt shoots through my heart when I think of my family. It must show on my face, my hurt, because the human - Nick is his preferred name - sends me a worried look.

"What's wrong?" he questions, reaching out a hand to touch my arm. We have long since reached the point where we are comfortable touching, yet each time my stomach turns in a strange way and I feel something inside of me. As the Mood Spirit grows larger each time she rises, the feeling grows stronger. I wonder what will happen when she is fully grown, which will be at the end of - what did Nick call it, day? - this 'day'. I will find out soon; the Sun Goddess is beginning to dip behind the horizon now.

"I miss family," I say to him. My face is sad, as is my heart. I explain as best as I can in his odd language why I cannot go home again. I have brought shame on myself by not mating and killing him, I say to my new friend. He listens intently. It is a mermaid's purpose to keep the clan alive, and I have been disloyal. They will never take me back.

He gives me a pitying look and rubs his hand up and down my arm. I get strange bumps on my skin. It feels so nice, his touch. Nick must notice my feelings, because he keeps going, running his rough hands softly over my arm. I take his hand in mine and place it in my cheek. Looking up into his eyes, I see he smiles softly down at me. There is something in his pretty eyes, something I don't recognize yet seems so familiar because I know he can see it in my own.

Without thinking about what I'm doing, I suddenly find that I'm pulling myself out of the water and onto the Surface to be closer to him. My tail is not made for sitting, so I lay. The rocky Surface is not terribly uncomfortable, the stones having been smoothed by the sea. Nick smiles down at me and lays down himself, propped up on one elboe. I mirror him.

As he brushes my cheek, his eyes locked in mine, I gather my hair with my free hand and pull it all behind my head so it doesn't fall into my eyes. I see his gaze leave my face and feel his hand follow. He traces my ear, his fingers creep down my neck, and then they're on my torso. Slowly, delicately, his hand runs down my shoulder, my collarbone. He runs it smoothly down my side, barely brushing the side of my breast. His eyes have stopped there.

By this time, the feeling inside me has become a roar. From the corner of my eye I see the fat, full Moon Spirit. She rules the sea and all those in it. She gave us our life and our purpose. Then it hits me, what this feeling inside me is. It's the Siren, the one born of desire and lust. It's what drives us to mate. As if it was waiting for the thought to click into my brain, the Siren suddenly roars her head.

My hand is teaching forward, my wide eyes watching it in nervous awe. The tips of my fingers touch Nick's chest, his muscular arms. The Siren is pleased with this, but she wants more. Apparently so does Nick, because he's moving closer to me, dragging his body across the rocks to close the gap to two hand lengths. I move my hand up to the side of his neck but freeze, because his hand has moved to my stomach, my ribs, my breasts, and the Siren is screaming her approval.

His eyes meet mine again and I can tell he's looking for a sign, something to say "keep going." I must have given it, because a tiny smile plays across his lips for a moment before he begins caressing them gently, touching the sides, tracing the scales where they run up my side, across one breast and to the other, and again back down the side. A slight moan escapes my lips and I am surprised. I didn't mean to let the Siren through, she just slipped out. He seems to like it though, because he smiles. His hand stops touching my chest and makes its way to my cheek again. He's sitting up a bit now, an intense look on his face. His other hand pressed against my other cheek. The look in his eyes is so foreign, so strange, that I'm completely wrapped up in his gaze. I don't even notice he's getting closer to my face until his lips press against mine.

It's soft at first, and I'm so surprised and confused I have no idea what to do. I have no idea what this is, but it pleases the Siren quite a bit so I let him continue. His lips are hot and a tiny bit wet, and after a moment I notice they're moving slightly. I try to mirror his movements with my own lips. He seems to like it, because one of his hands moves to the back of my head, preventing me from moving away. I finally notice his eyes are closed so I close mine. I don't know what this is, but it feels very nice.

All of a sudden, and in my opinion too soon, Nick pulls away. Just a finger length, enough to see into my eyes. There's something in there I don't understand, but I don't think it is a bad thing. He sits there for a moment, bent over me, saying nothing. I move my arm out from under me and lay down on my back. Now he is more than a hand length away, which the Siren protests, but I need a break to breathe. My lungs are a bit sore from not breathing much.

"What this is?" I ask him softly, hoping he will explain what the point of this strange practice is.

"We call it kissing, where I'm from," he smiles at me and pulls a bit of my long hair forward. Running his fingers through it, he adverts his eyes and asks "do you like it?"

I find this bashfulness very sweet and I smile. I reach up with both hands and pull his head down to mine. I put his lips to mine briefly before pushing him away, smiling.

"Yes," I say shortly. He grins and tucks my hair behind my ear before moving in for more. I smile and let him press his bare chest into mine as he puts his lips on mine again

What seems like a very long time later I feel him begin to shift his body. Thus far he has been bent over me, resting in what he calls his 'shins'. Now, he bites my lip softly while he kisses me. Shivers run up and down my body and the Siren moans in happiness. As this happens, I feel Nick sliding on top of me, keeping one leg on each side of my body. He is considerably larger than me, but he is careful not to put too much weight on my small body. He kisses me deeply and I run my fingers through his hair, enjoying the feeling of his bare skin on mine. The air is cold, but he keeps me warm.


	14. Chapter 14

**Nick**

There is absolutely nowhere else I would rather be than here with this beautiful mermaid. I can't help but feel like it's all a dream, it's so unrealistic. I've never kissed a girl before, and normally I wouldn't be so forward as to kiss her, let alone touch her the way I did, but I can't help myself. I'm drawn to her. I literally can't hold myself back. I need to touch her. The more I got to know her, the more this need grew. Tonight, it reached its peak.

We kiss fiercely, but I need more. I need to be closer. I cross ny fingers that she will allow me to move over to lay on top of her. Making my move, I am pleased to find that she does. It shocks me how cold her body is. I remember her shivering the last time she was out of water. I press my body into hers, hoping to share some of my heat. She moans a bit and shifts around. I feel her breasts against my chest and I'm pushed over the edge. Her beauty, her stunning, gorgeous, beautiful body is irresistible to me. I feel myself elongating and a sensation I vaguely recognize fills my body. Desire.

It's stronger than any other time I've felt it. Even when I walked in on Alison Ward while she was changing during the church Christmas play, it was nothing compared to this. Seraphina is just different. As I feel myself reach full length, Seraphina pushes me off of her roughly.

"I'm sorry," I begin quickly, "I couldn't help it, I'm sorry." But she's not listening to me. She's not even looking at me. Her face is stricken with horror. She's propped herself up on her hands and is staring at her tail, her mouth opening. Before I can move at all, she's screaming. My recently repaired ear, courtesy of Seraphina, throbs in protest. I slap my hand over my ears, but her piercing scream seems to reach right through my fingers

"Seraphina! What is it!" I lunge for her, cradle her upper body in my arms protectively. She stops screaming now and begins to whimper pitifully, never taking her eyes off her tail. I look as well, and although it's dark out I can see by the light of the moon that something isn't right. Her tail, which should be dry by now, looks as if its taken on the texture of jelly. I carefully stretch out a hand and lightly touch it. I was right, it does feel like jelly. As soon as I remove my fingers, it slips off Seraphina's body completely.

Her whimpering turns into wails of fear and sadness, and she pushes herself from me, dragging herself down the beach. She's rapidly speaking in some tongue I don't recognize, and it's a moment before I realize that it must be whatever language mermaids speak. I grab her arm and yell for her to stop. My eyes have just been drawn to her lower half. Where her tail used to be is a pair of beautiful legs.

Without thinking, I reach out to touch one and find it's smooth as silk. Seraphina starts when my fingers touch her and looks around, first at me and then at her new legs. Her eyes widen as she takes them in. I watch her, half worried she'll faint and half worried she'll start screaming again. I'm wrong in both cases, thankfully; after a good ten minutes I notice a tear streaming down her face. She wipes it onto her finger and looks at it curiously.

"What this is?" she asks for the second time tonight.

I smile a bit and take her hand, kissing the tear delicately. "It's a tear, my love. You're sad. I suppose you don't have those living underwater, do you."

She looks at her still-wet finger and puts her hand to her face again for a moment before reaching down to caress her legs. More tears spill from her eyes and I reach forward and hug her to my chest. She whimpers again, and I can tell she's crying harder now, though she makes no noise. I whisper into her ear and rock her back and forth a bit.

"Shh. It'll be okay. We'll figure this out. You're going to be fine. I'll teach you how to walk, and you'll be a proper human. You'll be okay. I promise."

Half an hour later, Seraphina is curled up in my arms, asleep. My own eyes are tired now too, but I can't sleep just yet. Scooping the girl into my arms, I carry her back to my shelter and lay her down. She's full naked now, the scales having vanished from her lower half and her breasts. I'm careful to avert my eyes from those places as I pull my discarded shirt from the ground and place it over her sleeping form. She shifts a little in her sleep, and I smile. She looks at peace now, no more distress over her lost tail. I settle down on the other side of the shelter and am instantly asleep.

The next morning, I talk over last night's events with Seraphina. Now the shock is over, she is quite level headed about it all. When she was growing up her clan told her about what would happen to mermaids who left the water. Once they dried off, their tails would fall of to be replaced with legs. Simply by getting wet again could she grow it back, and therein lies her dilemma. She wants to learn to walk as I do, but misses her tail as well. So the decision comes down to learning now, while she has her legs already, or going back into the water and having to lose her tail again at a later date. In the end she chooses to stay on land and learn to walk. I am pleased to have her constant company.

I've clothed Seraphina in my shirt. It's a long sleeved white button up, and thanks to her small size it falls nearly halfway down her thigh. She doesn't seem to think it matters either way, I suppose shes used to being naked all the time, but I insist it's improper for a lady to be completely lacking in clothes. A few more days go by and we're starting to run out of food. Obviously Seraphina can't go into the ocean, so I brave the depths to retrieve some of the foods she has managed to describe to me. While I'm gone, she promises to practice her walking.

Taking an enormous breath, I dive beneath the surface. Swimming as fast as I can straight down, I search frantically for something I recognize. Seraphina recommended I stick to plants, since fish would be too difficult for me to catch. Up until now I've been burying them under a layer of rocks to be roasted by the sun, but the weather has taken a turn for the worse and storm clouds are rolling in. Plants are our only chance.

I reach a ledge of rock and swim along it. There are a few plants, but not the ones I know. My breath is running out now and I'm getting nervous. Finally a plant I recognize catches my eye. Quickly ripping off some leaves, I head for the surface and gasp in the fresh air when I break through the waves. My eyes are burning from the salt water, but I've got some food. Climbing out onto the island, I look around for Seraphina.

"Nick," comes the half whispered voice of my mermaid, who sits huddled up inside the shelter looking scared. I hurry over to her.

"What is it, what's wrong?" I question hurriedly, hoping she's not hurt. In response she points out to my right, eyes wide. I turn to see a ship on the horizon.


	15. Chapter 15

**Seraphina**

As soon as I tell him about the ship, Nick begins an attempt to wave it down. I don't see him having any luck from my hiding spot in the corner of the cave. To be honest, I'm rather terrified of what will happen if the ship really does get to us. Visions of a laughing, sneering crowd of humans encircling me fills my mind. I almost don't notice Nick is talking to me, until he grabs my hand and pulls me roughly out of the cave.

"Come on, Seraphina, you have to!" he says to me urgently. I have no idea what he's talking about, so I give him a questioning look. "Sing," he clarifies, "call them in the way you called my ship in."

Finally understanding, I nod. It's not something I want to do, but I trust Nick. I believe he'll keep me safe. Taking his hands, I cover his ears as a sign that he should try not to listen.

"You no hear," I tell him when he tries to move his hands away. He nods and obeys, backing away from me and stuffing his fingers into his ears. Shaky on my new legs, I walk to the point of the island closest to the ship way off in the distance. I gulp and take a breath in before letting out the first few noted of the loudest song I know. I can almost feel the sea air carrying my voice over the waves.

I wait for a moment to see what the ship will do, but it's too far off for me to know. Nick nods encouragingly at me from down the beach. I turn back to the ship and take another couple of deep breaths before finishing out the rest of my song. The ship appears to have turned and I smile behind me to Nick, whose eyes are fixed on the horizon with glee. A bit sad and fearful that he will soon be leaving me, I turn back to the ship and sing again, the same melody as before. Yes, the ship is definitely growing closer now. I retreat to Nick's side, where he has unplugged his ears and is waving around his jacket in the air. I flop onto the ground to sit among the rocks. I refuse to help him any more with attracting the thing that will take him away from me.

Unfortunately for me, Nick succeeds with his efforts without my help. The ship stops off shore and I watch nervously as a little ship is lowered into the water, three men aboard. When they make contact with the island, two of the men hop out and drag the little ship halfway onto the rocks. The last man steps out and stands between the two others. I clutch Nick's leg in fear and peak out from behind it. He, however, seems unafraid. On the contrary, he's grinning and bowing to the men graciously.

"Please, sirs, I cannot thank you enough for coming here. I've been trapped on this island for.. what seems like a very long time now. I beg of you, take me to the nearest port. I would be forever in your debt."

His speech is very polite, or at least it sounds that way to me. The man in the middle seems to approve of it too, because he strokes his hairy black chin and smiles a tiny bit.

"What be yer name, lad?" he asks in his rough, crackly voice, exposing blackened teeth.

"Nick Adams, of the Colonies," is Nick's reply. He seems to realize that these men may not be of the best repute, and therefore draws himself up to his fullest height. I may be biased, but I think he looks rather menacing.

"Well Nick Adams of the Colonies, it be yer lucky day," says the man after a moment of hesitation, "I'll be giving ye passage today. Ye look like a well-built man, I'll be requirin' yer hands on deck as a part of me crew until we make port in Tortuga."

Nick nods and the men turn back to their little ship. Nick takes a step forward toward them and a little wail of sadness escapes me. He looks down at me, holding out a hand.

"Come on Seraphina, let's go," he says urgently.

The thought never even crossed my mind, leaving my home? Then again, I don't really have a home anymore. I can't go back to my clan, Nick is all I have left. But I still feel wrong about leaving with humans.

"No leave," I say, shaking my head again. Water fills my eyes, Nick calls them tears, when I look up at him.

"What?" he says, turning to face me, dropping his hand to his side, "No, Seraphina, please. Don't you want to be together?" There's something in his eyes, something like fear. My stomach flips strangely and I know I can't be without him. He really is all I have left, I gave up everything for him without ever having even talked to him before. After all this time, I feel very strongly for him. I know can't lose him. My throat is tight, so I can only nod and allow a beaming and relieved Nick to scoop me up in his arms and carry me over to the little ship.

One awkward conversation with the man (who turns out to be the ship's captain) later, and Nick has managed to convince both him and the crew that he and I are something called "married." I'm not sure what this word means, but the leering crew have backed off with their snide remarks and instead turned to shooting me creepy leering looks instead. They all seem to be talking about this shirt I'm wearing. I would gladly remove it, but when I tried upon first hearing their comments, I had only lifted it up a finger length when Nick became very angry.

We spend a long time on this ship. The captain gives Nick and I the only spare hammock onboard, which we are apparently to share. Nick insists I take in the hammock, but laying in the middle of the air is too terrifying for me to get even a wink of sleep. In the end, I sleep on the wooden floor beside his hammock. The crew seems to find this amusing, for the give Nick a hard time for it each time we lay down for sleeping.

While he isn't working on teaching me new vocabulary in his language or helping me learn to walk, Nick spends his time on deck. I watch him occasionally, as he wipes what he calls a mop around the ground and ties knots in lengths of rope that attatches to what the captain refers to as sails. I spend some time with the captain and, warry though I was at first, I soon decide I quite enjoy his company. He's a man with a sense of humor, which I can appreciate. He asks if I am "foreign," and though I have no idea what it means I agree. I am later informed it means not from their land, and am thankful I said yes. It at least explains my broken English.

After five "days," Nick calls them, we arrive at a new island. It's nearing sunset when we reach the docks, and I am nervous to leave the ship, where I feel at least a little safe. They lower a plank to the dock, and Nick carries me down. I don't think he trusts me not to fall off. The captain accompanies us to town and gives me a few strange coins. I don't know what they are, but I take them with a smile and thank him. He kisses my hand, tells me to buy myself some proper clothes, because "a lady such as myself shouldn't be walking around in a man's shirt." That is the last time I see him, for he walks off into a rowdy structure called a building and is lost from my sight.


End file.
